ESPN projects the Titans making a bold move, trading up for a Jevon Kearse-caliber edge rusher. Will this ambitious draft strategy pay off?
The Tennessee Titans currently have the No. 4 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
On Monday, ESPN had that changing.
The Titans have been linked to Jeremiyah Love, Sonny Styles, David Bailey, Rueben Bain Jr., and Carnell Tate. I wrote about all the different ways that the No. 4 pick could pan out for the Titans.
The draft can be unpredictable at times, so I obviously couldn't foresee everything that could happen, especially with the trades that could happen in the top 10.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell took that into effect and came up with some trade scenarios for every team in the first round. He even had a scenario in which the Titans traded up to take a player.
Barnwell had the Titans trading with the New York Jets for the No. 2 pick so that they could take Bailey. The Titans gave up the No. 4 overall pick, No. 66 overall pick and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
He noted that while Jermaine Johnson and Femi Oladejo were already the starting edge rushers, Bailey could be a similar prospect to Jevon Kearse.
"The Titans have Jermaine Johnson and 2025 second-rounder Oluwafemi Oladejo on the edge already, but Bailey might be the most athletic edge rusher they have drafted since Jevon Kearse," Barnwell said. "There won't be a huge demand to trade up in the top 10 here, which is why the price would be relatively muted."
If Bailey turns out to be like Kearse, then he would be an absolute steal by the Titans. I recently wrote about how younger Titans fans don't understand how dominant he was in his prime.
Kearse made the Pro Bowl in his first three years with the franchise, and nearly won the AP Defensive Player of the Year award as a rookie, losing to Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Warren Sapp.
Kearse had 14.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, 15 TFLs and 58 total tackles as a rookie in 1999.
If Barnwell's prediction comes true, it may conflict with what General Manager Mike Borgonzi said about the Titans' draft strategy. He stated that the team is planning on taking the best player available, no matter what.
That strategy makes it sound like Love would be the main player that the Titans would target in a few weeks in Pittsburgh.
However, if Bailey truly is similar to Kearse, then the strategy could still be in play. On top of that, he would definitely be one that the Titans wouldn't want to pass up on.
This would be an interesting move for the Titans, but could pay dividends if Bailey is remotely close to the kind of player "The Freak" was.